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The government says the benefit cap tries to level up 鈥渢he playing field between families who are in work and who are reliant on benefits.?/p>

Chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham said: 鈥淢any of the savings the government intended to make are being lost because they have to spend on discretionary housing payments, in order to prevent people being made homeless. So they鈥檙e taking with one hand and giving back with another hand, it鈥檚 kind of a strange way of determining public policy on benefits.?/p>

Kim says the family has been struggling since their benefits were capped.

She said: ?pound;20,000 a year does sound a lot but it鈥檚 not a lot really. By the time you鈥檝e paid your gas, your electric, your rent if you鈥檝e got to pay rent, your council tax, your food shopping, clothes for the kids, trips, school trips and stuff like that, you know, your weekly money soon goes.?/p>

Neither Steve nor Kim has worked for almost nine years. Under the rules, they could get their full benefits back if they worked 24 hours a week between them.

Kim and Steve Carmichael (Photo: BBC)

Steve says he is looking for work, but he hasn鈥檛 been able to find a job in the four months since the family was capped.

The discretionary housing payments the couple have received are one of a range of measures the Government says it has put in place to support those in the most need.

One of Kim and Steve Carmichael's four children (Photo: BBC)

Minister for Welfare Delivery Caroline Nokes said: 鈥淲hat we sought to do was incentivise work because we know that the outcomes for children will be better if they鈥檙e in families that are working.

鈥淭he flexible support fund and our new personal support package for jobseekers is about trying to make sure that people have absolutely the most amount of support, to enable them to make the right decision and the transition into work.?/p>

You can watch the programme tonight at 9pm on BBC One. 鈥淧anorama: The Benefit Cap ?Is it Working??/p>